"My disguise, even the most skilled conventional doctor wouldn't be able to find any issue," the man said, sitting on the hospital bed with one leg crossed, casting a sidelong glance at Zhang Yang, a sharp light flickering in his eyes. "Since you could see through my deception at a glance, you must also be someone who cultivates internal energy. Young man, your insight is sharp. Sending the others away—were you afraid that if my identity was exposed, I might fly into a rage and accidentally harm someone else?"

The man noticed Zhang Yang's disdain but didn't take offense. He knew the strength he projected was weak—only the initial stage of the second layer of internal energy, coupled with his fifty-plus years—it afforded him no basis for arrogance in front of many cultivators.

Yet, the end result had often been that cultivators who looked down on him all ended up dead by his hand. Being underestimated and overlooked served as an excellent guise for him.

This time, however, he didn't know he had run into a very solid wall.

In front of Zhang Yang, no matter how he disguised himself or feigned weakness, it was useless. Faced with an absolute disparity in strength, all petty tricks were futile and would only end up being a joke.

From the very first moment Zhang Yang saw this person, he had seen through the man entirely. This individual was not as simple as he appeared; his face had been meticulously disguised. Not only had he reached the late stage of the third layer of internal energy, just one step shy of breaking through to the initial stage of the fourth, but he wasn't actually a middle-aged man in his fifties either.

This man’s true face was only that of someone in his mid-thirties. Furthermore, the scent of blood on him was incredibly heavy, clearly indicating someone whose hands were frequently stained with it—a detail that utterly escaped Zhang Yang’s notice.

The man's disguise was masterful, and combined with the malevolent aura surrounding him, Zhang Yang had already guessed his identity. Only those from the Demonic Path could possess such a baleful sha qi. Combined with the information Yan Liangfei later provided about this man, Zhang Yang was virtually certain that the troubles facing the Yan family were inescapably linked to this individual.

Where could he have chosen to collapse and feign illness but right outside Jinghe Hospital? Clearly, this entire act was planned, and this time, the target was Yan Liangfei.

Zhang Yang dismissed Guo Yong and Yan Liangfei not because he feared the man might accidentally injure them, but simply because he did not wish to expose the depth of his own power in front of them and the doctors.

It would be effortless for Zhang Yang to deal with this fellow, but doing so would inevitably draw the attention of Guo Yong and Yan Liangfei, leading to unnecessary complications and disrupting the peaceful life Zhang Yang desired. The loss would outweigh the gain.

However, what Zhang Yang hadn't anticipated was that the people the Yan family had offended this time would actually have ties to the Demonic Sect.

"Rest assured, you are not my target, nor will I harm anyone unnecessarily. You don't need to worry," seeing Zhang Yang remain silent, the man added. As he spoke, his eyes never left Zhang Yang. Soon, the sharp light in his eyes grew stronger, then he abruptly slapped his thigh and declared, "Good, very good! Another excellent candidate for Cai Bu!"

"Your target is Yan Liangfei?" Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes and asked directly, paying no mind to the man's other words.

This unexpected appearance was perfectly timed for Zhang Yang. He had been pondering how to uncover what exactly happened within Yan Liangfei’s family. Now, this man’s arrival conveniently saved Zhang Yang the trouble of having to question Yan Liangfei's parents.

"Indeed, my original target was him." The man watched Zhang Yang, one hand resting on his crossed knee, the other held behind his back, his fingers gently rubbing against each other—obviously preparing some subtle move—yet his mouth never stopped talking, continuously trying to hold Zhang Yang’s attention: "But now, I have an addition to my list—"

"That is, you!"

As soon as he uttered that final word, the man whom Yan Liangfei called 'Uncle Haozi' suddenly leaped up from the bed and threw a punch from behind, using an uppercut to smash directly toward Zhang Yang's chin!

The force of the punch whipped the air within the entire emergency room into a massive vortex. This strike held the entirety of his internal energy. This punch was certainly not one that a cultivator at the initial stage of the second layer of internal energy could produce!

Had his opponent not been Zhang Yang, but any other cultivator whose strength did not reach the fourth layer of internal energy, they would inevitably fail to evade such a surprise attack and would end up severely wounded, if not dead!

After all, initially, Haozi had only displayed the strength of the early second layer of internal energy. Suddenly, his entire presence surged, unleashing a blow condensed with the full power of a master at the late third layer of internal energy. Even someone equally powerful at the third layer might be caught off guard and deceived!

Haozi relied on this very technique to kill many cultivators whose strength matched his own; thus, he was intimately familiar with this move.

Everything before this was merely meant to confuse Zhang Yang. He had recognized that Zhang Yang was anything but simple; otherwise, he wouldn't have been unable to discern the depth of this young man's power. When operating in the world, he always adhered to the principle of caution first, so he unleashed his strongest move immediately.

Zhang Yang sneered inwardly again. The man thought his subtle movements could deceive him, failing to realize that Zhang Yang had seen through him completely. His plan to concentrate all his internal energy into his hand for a lethal surprise strike was entirely exposed before Zhang Yang.

How could Zhang Yang allow him to succeed?

Swish!

The punch, pulling the wind with it, whistled past Zhang Yang's ears. The fist hurtled toward its target. Haozi’s look of triumph had long been plastered across his face. In his mind, as long as Zhang Yang took this punch, everything after that would be simple!

Seeing Zhang Yang standing there, rigid and unmoving, Haozi couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. He had overestimated this young man; this youth was clearly terrified into paralysis by him.

Haozi was supremely confident in his strength. Even an unguarded Fourth Layer expert hit by this punch would suffer a significant internal injury, let alone this young man before him.

Perhaps this young man was merely an outer disciple of some prominent family. Haozi's entire body was suspended between the hospital bed and Zhang Yang, his fist less than five centimeters from Zhang Yang's chin, his own face nearly brushing against Zhang Yang's cheek.

A faint smile touched the corner of Zhang Yang's lips. Even at this moment, he made no move, merely staring coldly at the middle-aged man.

In an instant, Haozi’s triumphant expression froze solid. Then, his eyes widened in horror, as if he had seen a ghost, and his entire body was flung backward!

Thud!

His head slammed directly into the edge of the hospital bed, and he collapsed onto the floor!

That punch had completely missed Zhang Yang’s chin!

A cloud of white, dense mist suddenly materialized in front of Zhang Yang's chin, perfectly blocking the punch Haozi had thrown.

Energy Materialization!

This was also the reason Haozi's face suddenly changed drastically. He scrambled up from the floor, staring at the young man before him in utter disbelief, his voice choked with immense confusion and shock: "Energy Materialization! You... you, you have reached the Fifth Layer of Internal Energy?"

"No—absolutely not the Fifth Layer. That is—Great Perfection! You have reached the Great Perfection realm of the Fourth Layer of Internal Energy?" Before Zhang Yang could speak, Haozi refuted his own previous thought. If he were truly at the Fifth Layer, he would never be an unknown figure, nor would he remain in a hospital pretending to be an ordinary doctor. Individuals who reached that level were figures beyond reproach in the cultivation world; they would have no attachment left to worldly affairs, especially considering how young Zhang Yang looked.

The more Haozi thought, the more shocked he became. This young man, possessing the Great Perfection of the Fourth Layer at such a tender age—how many such people existed in the entire cultivation world?

Suddenly, a flash of spiritual insight struck Haozi’s mind, and he knew who this person before him must be!

Someone possessing such power at a young age could only be a descendant of the Medical Saint lineage—Zhang Yang of the Zhang family—the very person who caused the Demonic Sect such heavy losses of powerful experts!

"You are Zhang Yang?" Haozi's aged face looked as if it were about to break down in tears. He never imagined he would encounter the famous Zhang Yang in such an unremarkable private hospital.

Facing Zhang Yang, Haozi could not muster any thought of resistance. He had long heard the elders of his sect mention the great defeat at Longjia Plain, where numerous Demonic Sect masters were present, only to return in utter failure, and their Ancestor had his cultivation crippled.

He had fortunately been occupied elsewhere and avoided that disaster, but afterward, hearing his fellow disciples describe Zhang Yang always made their faces turn pale with terror.

"Senior Zhang, esteemed Expert Zhang..." Haozi became completely incoherent, his legs instantly weakening as he dropped to his knees before Zhang Yang, pleading desperately: "This junior did not know you were here. If this junior had known you were present, I wouldn't have dared to come even if you lent me ten times the courage! I beg you, spare this junior!"

He knew clearly that he possessed zero capacity to resist Zhang Yang. Even the strongest experts of his sect, including the guardians of the Demonic Sect, were no match for Zhang Yang. Therefore, his attitude shifted abruptly by eighty degrees; he could only beg and plead, hoping Zhang Yang would let him go.

"It seems you recognize me now. That's good, as I also have matters to inquire about. If you answer truthfully, I will let you go. But if you dare to deceive me even slightly, I will kill you immediately!"

Zhang Yang indeed had questions for him, and seeing his current demeanor, he saw no need to waste further effort. Hearing Zhang Yang's words, Haozi, still kneeling, kowtowed several times, saying, "I deserve death. I shouldn't have harbored wicked intentions. Seeing your exceptional foundation, I conceived the evil desire to use Cai Bu..."

Zhang Yang had already seen that he hadn't immediately attacked Yan Liangfei because he coveted Yan Liangfei’s rare Golden Pupil physique, intending to use him for a Demonic Path absorption technique. Only upon seeing Zhang Yang did his focus shift to him.

However, Zhang Yang had no interest in these matters. He bypassed the trivial details and got straight to the point: "Who exactly wants to harm the Yan family and hired a Demonic Path expert like you?"